Stevens appears to have settled on his top four bigs

[Tr1boy]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/boston-celtics-appear-to-have-settled-on-their-top-four-bigs

"Starters David Lee and Tyler Zeller, with Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk off the bench"


I have no issues with this.   Better start working the phone and see what you can get for Sullinger, Turner and Young.  Better if you can as a package

[Eja117]

Could be some leverage for extending Sully on some level. Or KO. Or both

[Denis998]

DA's plan might be to match offer sheet for sully, won't get a high offer if he doesn't play much

[Tr1boy]

Sullinger lost weight but his body still looks crappy for a basketball player.   On the other hand, KO looks like he has noticeable strengthen up and has added a bit more explosion.  Is playing in a much more decisive fashion, which is good.

 

[crimson_stallion]

Yeah, I have to say I'm really happy with these rotations - especially the Olynyk + Johnson combination.  Between Olynyk's perimeter game and Johnson athleticism/physicality that is probably one of the most unorthodox front lines in the league, and I think that combination is going to the opponents bench headaches on a nightly basis.  Especially once you throw Thomas in the mix.

Regarding Sully I have to say, I always felt he would be the odd man out. 

Sully does bring some nice skills, but for every skill he brings there is another big on the roster who does it better:

- Lee is a better rebounder, passer and inside scorer
- Zeller has a better midrange game
- Olynyk has a better perimeter game
- Johnson is a better defender

This really makes Sully quite redundant.

Then add to that the obvious conditioning concerns (which you don't need to worry about with Lee, Zeller, Olynyk or Johnson) and it makes hard to justify giving him minutes other than to simply:

a) Give other players a rest
b) Keep his morale at acceptable levels

If Boston can find an interested trade partner who is willing to offer just about anything of value (first round pick, a player in a position of need, a promising prospect, etc) then I anticipate he'll be gone real quick.

[Tr1boy]

Yeah, I have to say I'm really happy with these rotations - especially the Olynyk + Johnson combination.  I think that duo is going to be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams front lines.

I always felt Sully would be the odd man out. 

Sully does bring some nice skills, but for every skill he brings there is another big on the roster who does it better:

- Lee is a better rebounder, passer and inside scorer
- Zeller has a better midrange game
- Olynyk has a better perimeter game
- Johnson is a better defender

This really makes Sully quite redundant, and so there is little reason to give him minutes other than to simply:

a) Give other players a rest
b) Keep his morale at acceptable levels

Even with what you said, Sully is still a good player.   Like Bilas said before, he is not really a pure center or pf, but a basketball player. Knows how to play

BUT his body is crappy.  I don't know, maybe due to genetics he just can't get cut , get below the 10 percent fat mark without sacrificing strength.   

Eddie Curry, Oliver Miller are two other players that couldn't change their bodies no matter how hard they tried

[jambr380]

Yeah, I have to say I'm really happy with these rotations - especially the Olynyk + Johnson combination.  I think that duo is going to be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams front lines.

I always felt Sully would be the odd man out. 

Sully does bring some nice skills, but for every skill he brings there is another big on the roster who does it better:

- Lee is a better rebounder, passer and inside scorer
- Zeller has a better midrange game
- Olynyk has a better perimeter game
- Johnson is a better defender

This really makes Sully quite redundant, and so there is little reason to give him minutes other than to simply:

a) Give other players a rest
b) Keep his morale at acceptable levels

Even with what you said, Sully is still a good player.   Like Bilas said before, he is not really a pure center or pf, but a basketball player. Knows how to play

BUT his body is crappy.  I don't know, maybe due to genetics he just can't get cut , get below the 10 percent fat mark without sacrificing strength.   

Eddie Curry, Oliver Miller are two other players that couldn't change their bodies no matter how hard they tried

I think you are giving Sully, Curry, and Miller WAY too much credit on how much effort they put in to lose weight. Yes, all people are different and some need to try harder than others, but if somebody eats fewer calories than their bodies 'need', they will lose weight...even without exercise.

Sully is possibly the best 'big' on our roster, but I currently agree with the rotation. Besides, Zeller is likely to only start the game and the 2nd half so Sully will get plenty of minutes even without injuries.

[BDeCosta26]

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/boston-celtics-appear-to-have-settled-on-their-top-four-bigs

"Starters David Lee and Tyler Zeller, with Amir Johnson and Kelly Olynyk off the bench"


I have no issues with this.   Better start working the phone and see what you can get for Sullinger, Turner and Young.  Better if you can as a package

Stevens line-ups are so fluid I put little stock in who starts, but man I wish Olynyk could improve enough defensively to play next to Lee a lot. Still , I have high hopes for Kelly playing good minutes off the bench and playing next to Amir will do wonders for him. If he can just stay confident he, Smart and Lee and really help this offense move up a level.

There's still more preseason left to play, but after the first two games I'm on board with that. It can be overplayed how well it looks like Lee is gonna fit in on this team. Having him in the starting line-up running some offense through him in the high post and on Smart/Lee P&R's will really help Smart ease into the role of primary ball-handler while allowing us to start Crowder and move Turner to the end of the bench. He's a gifted passer, a very good rebounder and a real leader out on the floor. Having him with a more aggressive, more featured Smart, Bradley shooting 3's and cutting to the hoop and Crowder doing Crowder things is gonna really improve the starting offense, IMO. You kind of have to start Zeller next to Lee since Lee is a poor defender. Surrounded by those other 4 guys though, that will still be a very strong D and I'm sure Amir will be replacing Zeller off the bench as the first sub.

It's stands to reason Ainge and Stevens were disappointed with how Sullinger has came to camp like most of us were. Now, if KO or Zeller struggles there's a chance for him to earn major minutes back, but if you feel sure that Lee needs to be in the starting line-up, you can't start him next to Sully. And if you feel like KO has done more in terms of improvement, which it seems he has, you want him out there with Amir or Zeller (who have to play decent minutes because they're the best defending bigs we have). So Sully may not have been that bad so far, but the other guys have out worked him. That's the beauty of having competition at every spot, the players who do the most to earn the time will get it.

Certainly would make sense to try and move him and Turner now, but not Young. Even if your really down on him, if your trying to move Turner you keep Young just for depth at the 3. I'm for moving Turner just because I think will start to hinder Smart's development and you can't play him next to Thomas so you may as well move him. But if you do you've really got Crowder and little else. Jerebko can at there some, but he showed last year he's better used as a 4. After him, you've got Young, Jones III and maybbeeee RJ Hunter a few minutes a game (He's really small to be playing against the better NBA SF's for very long.) I liked Young as a prospect, but I have very little confidence in him right now, just like I do for Jones, so I'd rather keep both and play the better one in spot minutes. If including him with Sully and/or Turner returns you a decent SF though, I might be for it .

[crimson_stallion]

Yeah, I have to say I'm really happy with these rotations - especially the Olynyk + Johnson combination.  I think that duo is going to be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams front lines.

I always felt Sully would be the odd man out. 

Sully does bring some nice skills, but for every skill he brings there is another big on the roster who does it better:

- Lee is a better rebounder, passer and inside scorer
- Zeller has a better midrange game
- Olynyk has a better perimeter game
- Johnson is a better defender

This really makes Sully quite redundant, and so there is little reason to give him minutes other than to simply:

a) Give other players a rest
b) Keep his morale at acceptable levels

Even with what you said, Sully is still a good player.   Like Bilas said before, he is not really a pure center or pf, but a basketball player. Knows how to play

BUT his body is crappy.  I don't know, maybe due to genetics he just can't get cut , get below the 10 percent fat mark without sacrificing strength.   

Eddie Curry, Oliver Miller are two other players that couldn't change their bodies no matter how hard they tried

I agree with you entirely - there's no question that Sully is a good player. 

The problem is that the front court positions on this team are so closely contested right now, and when you have a system like Brad's (that is based around the principle of constant movement wearing out the opposing team) a guy like Sully was always going to be the odd man out.

I still like Sully - I think he has a ton of talent, and that he could be a big time contributer on the right team.  Somewhere like Sacramento (next to Cousins/Cauley-Stein), the Lakers (next to Hibbert), the Knicks (next to Robin Lopez) or Detroit (next to Drummond) I think Sully could really thrive.

I don't feel this is the type of situation where he would, though,

[BudweiserCeltic]

Well, I'm disappointed. I like Sully, but more disappointed in KO still being Stevens binky. It really shackles his decision making. Was hoping the playoffs would've opened his eyed more... but seems to not be the case.

Regardless, if this remains true, Sullinger's days are more numbered than ever. Though I wouldn't go that far yet, Danny has a lot of control in this... tons of flexibility.

[LarBrd33]

Making Sully the odd-man out will make it difficult to get anything for him via trade.

[crimson_stallion]

Making Sully the odd-man out will make it difficult to get anything for him via trade.

Not really.

Sully has talent, everybody knows that.  He's just not the right fit for this team's circumstances and style of play.

At the end of the day it's all about market value - you are worth as much as the next team is willing to pay for you.

If a team needs a big and feels that Sully could be a key piece for them (and a good fit in their system) then they will offer fair value.  Sully is good enough that some team out there should feel that way.

[LarBrd33]

Making Sully the odd-man out will make it difficult to get anything for him via trade.

Not really.

Sully has talent, everybody knows that.  He's just not the right fit for this team's circumstances and style of play.

At the end of the day it's all about market value - you are worth as much as the next team is willing to pay for you.

If a team needs a big and feels that Sully could be a key piece for them (and a good fit in their system) then they will offer fair value.  Sully is good enough that some team out there should feel that way.

He's the 5th string big on a borderline playoff team.  What's that worth?  Think we could even get a late 1st for him at this point?

I actually still think Sully can put up 15/6 -> 18/8  if given the minutes.  I figured we'd showcase him early and ship him out at the earliest possible chance.  I have suspicions the kid has an attitude problem.

[Granath]

Where's the evidence? There's nothing in there from any member of the Celtics organization that suggests who the 4 are. It's Blakely - who is often incorrect - pulling 4 names out of his ass with nothing to back it up.

Let's look at Stevens' quote again:

“My thought right now is we won’t play more than four on most nights,” Stevens said. “Whoever those four may be, may depend on the night, may depend on how they’re playing, may depend on who is healthy.”

Ok, let's break it down.

“My thought right now is we won’t play more than four on most nights,” Well, duh. There's 96 minutes to go around. You simply can't give more than 4 meaningful minutes on any given night unless there's overtime. It's pretty simple math. A couple of guys get 28 or so minutes, a couple get 20 and that's all she wrote.

“Whoever those four may be, may depend on the night, may depend on how they’re playing, may depend on who is healthy.” Well, this is also pretty self-apparent. Because Brad has flexibility, who plays will depend production, match ups and health. This is makes perfect sense. Need rebounding? Sullinger is in there. Are you going to need inside scoring? Lee may be the man. A defensive presence? Amir, step forward. Need a big body? Zeller, you're up. Want to draw their guy out of the paint? KO, come on down.

In short, nothing to see here folks. This was the game plan all along and Blakely is just trying to stir the pot with a clickbait article.

[Lucky17]

Sherrod's favorite game:



Because if there's anything to take away from two preseason games in Europe, it's that a big man rotation for the season has been set.